Lige Bobby Boswell, a convicted scam artist/paving contractor with a particularâand provenâpenchant for preying on vulnerable seniors, has seen this movie before.
He knows how it ends, and yet according to court records spread over more than 10 years across the length and breadth of North Carolina, he continues to follow the same plot line.
Boswell picks out a mark, pitches a too-good-to-be-true deal and then proceeds to do a substandard paving job with crummy materials at an inflated price.
Boswell, of Walnut Cove, had a court date Tuesday in Gaston County to answer for three felony charges connected to a similar dealâobtaining property by false pretenses, conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses and exploitation of the elderly/handicapped. Two more court dates are slated for later this month, one in Forsyth County and another in Stokes, related to ⦠paving scams.
WALKERTOWNÂ â Somme Psalm walked down his driveway Friday morning kicking up chunks of newly laid asphalt. He shook his head as pieces came up just from a flick of his shoe.
âIt shouldnât be coming up like this,â he said, his native New York clear in his accent. âI come out every day trying to smooth it down.â
A couple of guys heâd met by chance in the parking lot of a nearby gas station just put it down last week, he said.
âThe guy said, âHey I got some asphalt in my truck and weâre looking for a place to dump it, â Psalm said. â If you could use a little asphalt, we could give it to you and smooth it. Weâre not charging anything. I just want to dump it. â